The present invention relates generally to a medical instrument and method used for positioning an implant during surgery, and more specifically to an articulating implant holder that is adapted to hold, position and orient an implant during surgery and a method for use thereof.
Many medical procedures require precise and accurate positioning of a medical implant before and during surgical implantation of the implant into a patient. As such, during medical procedures, medical personnel, such as surgeons, doctors, surgical assistants and other operating room staff, are interested in using instrumentation that allows for accurate and easy positioning of the implant during surgery. Many conventional medical instruments, such as, implant holders, have been proven to be effective in holding and positioning implants during surgical procedures. However, there is a desire for articulating medical instrumentation used for holding and positioning an implant during a medical procedure. Further, the articulating medical instrumentation should be designed to attain the greatest amount of precision and clamping force while also being simple to operate.
As mentioned above, medical personnel desire new and novel instrumentation to more efficiently hold and position an implant during surgical procedures or to hold or orient the implant relative to the medical instrument to improve visibility or access to the implant. This desire becomes more apparent as surgical procedures move toward minimally invasive surgical techniques where the surgical site has a limited amount of space for the medical personnel to maneuver or operate. Further, new and novel instrumentation becomes even more advantageous in medical procedures, such as, spinal surgery where precisely locating the implant becomes even more important. In these applications, instrumentation having a low profile and/or shape is highly desired. Such low profile and/or shaped instrumentation can easily be maneuvered during surgical techniques that use small surgical openings, such as, minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Precision and maneuverability are also key factors with articulating medical instrumentation that is used to hold and position implants during surgical techniques. There is a desire for a medical instrument that has a more natural and robust movement. Also, there is a desire for a medical instrument where medical personnel can easily position and orient the implant from a distance rather having to physically touch the implant in order to place the implant in a desired position or orientation. In this regard, a medical instrument is further desired where a user can orient or position the implant using only one or two hands rather than having to rely on other medical personnel to assist in orienting the implant. Additionally, it is desired to have a medical instrument where the implant can be easily oriented or positioned in specifically desired positions that are more frequently used in a particular surgical procedure.
Therefore, there is a desire in the industry to provide medical instrumentation and methods for easily orienting and holding a surgical implant during medical procedures. There is, further, a desire for medical instrumentation and method that can easily be maneuvered into small surgical sites and precisely maneuvered near vital internal tissue, organs, blood vessels or nerves. Also, there is a desire for medical instrumentation having a profile and/or shape that prevents the exertion of undesirable forces in or around an implantation area of a surgical site.